The water-felting of dilute aqueous dispersions of mineral wool and lightweight aggregate is a commercial process for manufacturing acoustical ceiling tile. In this process, a dispersion of mineral wool, lightweight aggregate, binder and other ingredients as desired or necessary is flowed onto a moving foraminous support wire, such as that of a Fourdrinier or Oliver mat forming machine for dewatering. The dispersion dewaters first by gravity and then vacuum suction means; the wet mat is dried in heated convection drying ovens, and the dried material is cut to the desired dimensions and optionally top coated, such as with paint, to produce acoustical ceiling tiles and panels.
For many years, acoustical ceiling tile has also been made by a wet pulp molded or cast process such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,769,519. According to the teaching of this patent, a molding composition comprising granulated mineral wool fibers, fillers, colorants and a binder, in particular a starch gel, is prepared for molding or casting the body of the tile. This mixture or composition is placed upon suitable trays which have been covered with paper or a metallic foil and then the composition is screeded to a desired thickness with a screed bar or roller, A decorative surface, such as elongated fissures, may be provided by the screed bar or roller. The trays filled with the mineral wool pulp or composition are then placed in an oven to dry or cure the composition. The dried sheets are removed from the trays and may be treated on one or both faces to provide smooth surfaces, to obtain the desired thickness and to prevent warping. The sheets are then cut into tiles of a desired size.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,677, issued Jun. 14, 1994, disclose a composite material and method for making it wherein ground gypsum is calcined under pressure in a dilute slurry in the presence of a cellulosic fiber. The uncalcined, ground gypsum and the cellulosic fiber are mixed together with sufficient water to form a dilute slurry which is then heated under pressure to calcine the gypsum, converting it to calcium sulfate alpha hemihydrate. The resulting co-calcined material consists of the cellulosic fiber physically interlocked with calcium sulfate crystals. This interlocking not only creates a good bond between the calcium sulfate and the cellulosic fiber, it also prevents migration of the calcium sulfate away from the cellulosic fiber when the alpha hemihydrate is subsequently rehydrated to the dihydrate (gypsum).
The co-calcined gypsum/cellulosic fiber material can be dried immediately before it cools to provide a stable, rehydratable alpha hemihydrate composite for later use. Alternatively, the co-calcined material can be directly converted into a usable product by separating the excess water which is not needed for rehydration, forming the composite particles into a desired shape or form, and then rehydrating the particles to a set and stabilized gypsum/cellulosic fiber composite material.
Mineral wool acoustical tiles are very porous which is necessary to provide good sound absorption. The prior art (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,498,404; 5,013,405 and 5,047,120) also discloses that mineral fillers, such as expanded perlite, may be incorporated into the composition to improve sound absorbing properties and to provide light weight.
It is an object of this invention to provide an acoustical tile composition in which some or all of the mineral wool is replaced by a gypsum/cellulosic fiber composition.
It is another object of this invention to provide a mineral wool-free acoustical tile composition having acoustical properties comparable to the mineral wool tiles made by a water-felting process.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an acoustical tile composition consisting essentially of gypsum, cellulosic fiber, a lightweight aggregate material and a binder.
These and other objects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art in view of the description which follows.